Lubricators



T. A. EDDY ET AL 2,898,161

LUBRICATORS Aug. 4, 1959 Filed Oct. 31, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mun-42MInventors Thomas A Edd Llewellyn. E, flog e r 2/ JH'tornegs.

Aug. 4, 1959 T. A. EDDY ETAL LUBRICATORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 51,1956 I Inven'tors 19' Thomas A. Eckl r Llewellgn .E. 310 2:

dH-l-ornegs the new

Patented Aug. 4, 1959 LUBRICATORS Thomas A. Eddy, Ramsey, and LlewellynE. Hoyer,

Wyckoif, N.J., assignors to American Brake Shoe Company, New York, N.Y.,a corporation of Delaware Application October 31, 1956, Serial No.619,512

3 Claims. (Cl. 308-88) This invention-relates to a lubricator for thejournal of a railway car.

The journal of a railway car is conventionally disposed in a journal boxin engagement with a so-called partial bearing mounted in the uppersection of the journal box. The bearing is retained in place in part bylugs thereon that are adapted to abut faces of so-called stop columnsprojecting inwardly of the journal box from the opposite side wallsthereof. The long practiced method of lubricating the journal has beenbyvmeans of oil soaked waste packed in the box between the bottom of thebox and the lower periphery of the journal, and in order to at leastpartially prevent waste grabs so-called retainer ledges are afforded onopposite sides of the journal box beneath the stop columns, and incertain types of lubricators that have replaced waste packing theseretainer ledges which are present as standard or accepted journal boxconstruction are utilized or not.

In application Serial No. 582,030 filed May 1, 1956 there is disclosed anovel kind of journal bearing lubricator for a railway car comprising apad of porous oil resistant material encased in a cover of high ratewicking material, and retainers are provided at opposite ends of thecover so as to cooperate either with the stop columns of the journal boxor the waste ledges to prevent lateral as well as longitudinal shiftingof the lubricator within the journal box, and this is important in orderthat the lubricator will at all times be centered in the journal box.Inasmuch as journal boxes of standard construction sometimes embody bothstop columns and waste retainer ledges, one of the primary objects ofthe present invention is to enable lubricators of the kind disclosed inthe aforesaid application to be used in such journal boxes embodyingboth stop columns and Waste retainer ledges. Another important object ofthe present invention is to assure that the ends of the retainers of thelubricators of the aforesaid application are each disposed insubstantially a vertical plane in the space that exists between therelated lug of the bearing and the side wall of the journal box spacedoutwardly therefrom. A further object of the present invention is totake advantage of the rigid surfaces presented by both the stop columnand the related waste retainer ledge in a journal box of the foregoingkind to prevent movement of lubricators of the aforesaid applicationwhen mounted in such a journal box.

Specifically, the object of the present invention is to equip alubricator for the journal of a railway car with retainers at either endof the lubricator in the form of rigid means affording spaced apart earsadapted to embrace a related stop column of the journal box with theears disposed in a substantially vertical plane between a lug of thebearing and the opposed side wall of the journal box, the ears thusafforded being connected at inner edges by a base member having a loweredge adapted to abut the bottom of the stop column, the rigid meansfurther having extensions beyond the base member which are substantiallyL-shaped or angled to clear the packing to the bottom of the journalbox.

retainer ledge and thereby atiord an additional retainer member beneaththe retainer ledge, the aforesaid ex tensions being joined by a terminalmember adapted to be aflixed to an end of the lubricator. In this way,full advantage is taken of standard journal box construction to affordat least two surfaces at either end of the lubricator that cooperatewith fixed parts within the journal box to prevent lateral shifting ofthe lubricator, that is, movement of the lubricator in a directiontransverse to the axis of the journal. Moreover, the ears at the ends ofthe rigid means aifording the retainers are disposed in safe,out-of-the-way positions.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent fromthe following description and claims and are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show preferredembodiments of the present invention and the principles thereof and whatwe now consider to be the best mode in which we have contemplatedapplying these principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodyingthe same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes maybe made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing fromthe present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of lubricator embodying oneform of retainer in accordance with the present invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are, respectively, plan and elevation views of anotherform of retainer contemplated by the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a partial end view on an enlarged scale of the lubricatorshown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a standard journal box showing thelubricator of Fig. 1 mounted thereon;

Fig. 5A is a partial sectional view similar to Fig. 5

showing the disposition of the retainer of Fig. 2 or of I Fig. 6 in thejournal box; and

Fig. 6 is a partial end plan view of a lubricator showing a furthermodified form of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 5 of the drawing there is illustrated a journal box IEof standard or approved AAR construction having opposed side walls 10and 11 and a rounded bottom wall 12. Mounted in the upper section of thejournal box is a partial bearing 15 of standard con struction havingoutwardly projecting side lugs 16 and 17. The bearing 15 is providedwith a bearing face BF that engages the upper periphery of the journal Iof the railway car, and disposed between the lower periphery of thejournal and the bottom wall 12 of the journal box is a lubricator 21)that will be described in more detail herein below adapted to relaylubricant L, Fig. 5, in the bottom of the journal box onto the journal.

Journal boxes of standard construction of the kind illustrated in Fig. 5embody stop columns as 21 and 22 and waste retainer ledges 25 and 26.Thus, a stop column and a retainer ledge are eftorded on each side ofthe journal box and project inwardly from the related side wall 10 or11. The stop columns 21 and 22, as shown in Fig. 5, cooperate with thebearing lugs 16 and 17 of the bearing to prevent axial shifting of thebearing 15, and as was mentioned above the retainer ledges 25 and 26 areaflorded to at least in part restrict waste As will be described hereinbelow, full advantage is taken of the stop columns and the waste ledgesin accordance with the present invention to prevent lateral shifting ofa lubricator as 20.

One form'of lubricator in which the present invention may be embodied isillustrated at 20 in Fig. 1 as comprising-two identical sections 20A and20B, and this lubricator except for differences to be described hereinbelow, is fully disclosed in the aforesaid application. The lubricatoris merely shown herein as one form in which the present invention may beembodied, and the present invention may be embodied as well in otherforms of lubricators for railway journals as will be apparent from thedescription to follow.

In connection with the lubricator 20', this lubricator includes in eachsection 20A and 208 a porous pad (not shown) of oil resistant materialsuch as Neoprene rubber or the like, and these pads are encased in aonepiece cover of high rate wicking material. Preferably, the padsencased in the cover 30 embody enlarged passages as described in theaforesaid application which account for a pumping action under certainconditions. The cover 30 is divided by a stitch 31 or the like so thatthe lubricator 20 can be conveniently folded and inserted in the journalbox IE as shown in Fig. 5, and this particular construction it will beobserved accounts for a relatively enlarged area of contact between thelubricator and the journal. Preferably, brass grommets or similar hookreceiving elements 32 are embodied in the lubricator at opposite ends ofthe transverse stitch 31, and these elements enable the lubricator to beengaged by a packing hook for adjustment of the lubricator within thejournal box or easy removal of the lubricator from the journal box.

As shown particularly in Fig. 4, free ends of the cover 30 are splicedtogether by staples or the like to afford end flaps 35, and these endflaps 35 constitute portions of the lubricator to which retainers areeffixed as'will be described herein below. It will be appreciated ofcourse that end flaps as 35 on the lubricator 20 are merely illustrativeof end portions of the lubricator to which the retainers are to beaflixed, and that resort may be had as well to different end extensionsof a lubricator for this purpose, especially in those instances wherethe present invention is embodied in lubricators of entirely differentconstruction than that used herein for purposes of disclosure.

Under the present invention, rigid retainers are provided at each end ofthe railway journal lubricator that cooperate with the stop columns andthe waste ledges in a particular manner. Such retainer may either be inthe form of a solid plate or a wire having substantially the sameperipheral construction as the solid plate, and the solid plate form ofthe present invention will first be described in connection with Figs. 1and 5.

As shown in Fig. 1, retainers generally indicated at 40 and 40 arealforded at opposite ends of the lubricator 20, and inasmuch as theseretainers are identical both will be described simultaneously. Thus,each retainer includes rigid plate means of fiberboard or the likeaifording at the outer ends thereof spaced apart ear members 41 and 42having rounded outer ends 41 and 42E. These ears include inner edges 43and 44 connected at their base or inner ends by a base member having astraight lateral edge 51. As best shown in Fig. 4, the ears 41 and 42are arcuate, and the curvature is such that the ears 41 and 42 are bowedor bent in the direction of the upper face of the cover 30, that is, theface of the cover of the lubricator that engages the journal as will bereadily recognized from Fig. 5. The arrangement is such that the ears 41and 42 are spaced apart sufliciently so that the inneredges 43 and 44thereof will embrace the opposite front and rear end sides of the stopcolumns 21 and 22, that is, the ears 41 and 42 will embrace the ends ofthe stop columns that are aligned in the direction of the journal axis,noting that front faces only of the stop columns 21 and 22 are shown inFig. 5. Under this circumstance, the edge 51 of the base member 50 ofeach retainer 40 and 40' will be closely adjacent the curved bottom sideof the stop columns 21 and 22 as will be seen in Fig. 5, and thisarrangement of course fixes and locks the lubricator 4 20 accurately inthe journal box so that the journal is engaged symmetrically by thelubricator 20 and the lubricator 20 at the same time is positioned toobtain the maximum benefit of the depth of lubricant L in the journalbox.

The retainers 40 and 40' include identical extensions 53 and 54, Fig. 1,rearward of the base member 50, and these extensions in efIect areextensions of the outer edges of the ears 41 and 42. It will be observedin Fig. 4 that the extensions 53 and 54 are arcuate in a directionopposite that of the ears 41 and 42, and these extensions includesubstantially L-shaped portions 55 and 56 terminating in leg portions 58and 59, Figs. 1 and 4, which are generally normal to the extensions 53and 54, and when the lubricator is disposed in operative position theleg portions 58 and 59 are disposed beneath the lower faces of the wasteledges 25 and 26 as shown in Fig. 5. In other words, the extensions 53and 54 rearward or inward of the base member 50 are first directedinwardly gradually toward the journal I of the car to clear the inneredges of the waste ledges 2 5 and 26, and then are reversely directedsharply in the opposite direction so as to afford surfaces that aredisposed beneath the waste ledges 25 and 26. It will be seen from theforegoing that in accordance'with the present invention the lubricator20 can be used in a journal box whether or not the journal box isprovided with waste ledges 25 and 26. If the journal box has such wasteledges, the angled, L-shaped portions of the retainers will clear thewaste ledges so that the ear members 41 and 42 will prevent axialshifting of the lubricator, and at the same time the surfaces 51, and 58and 59 cooperate to provide a double safeguard against lateral shiftingof the lubricator. It may be of further advantage in some instances toform ears projecting forwardly from the surfaces 58 and 59 so as toembrace ends of the waste ledges 25 and 26.

In order that the retainers 40 and 40' can be affixed to ends of thelubricator, which in this instance are represented by the end flaps as35, Fig. 4, of the cover 30, the extensions of the retainers affordingthe L-shaped portions 55 and 56 are joined by a flat terminal member 62which in this instance is a solid extension as will be seen particularlyin Fig. 1. The terminal member 62 has substantially the rectangulardimension of the related end flap as 35 and can be conveniently securedto the end flap as 35 by suitable fasteners such as staples 63, Fig. 1.It is further advantageous to enlarge the surface of the retainer as58-59 affording the surface cooperating with the bottom of the wasteledge. This is conveniently accomplished by a separate plate 65, Figs. 1and 4, at each end of the lubricator secured to the face of the end flap35 opposite the affixing member 62. Thus, the plate 65 includes a flat,rectangular portion 66 having a surface 67 afforded by the outer edgethereof disposed'normal to the rectangular portion 66, and thearrangement is such that the surface 67 is substantially co-planar withthe surfaces 58 and 59 to represent an extension thereof.

A modified form of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 asembodied in a continuous wire loop 7 0, and in this form of theinvention the wire loop 70 is adapted to surround any selectedlubricator with longitudinal tie members 71 and 72 adapted to extendalong the longitudinal sides of such selected lubricator. The wire ispreferably of ferrous metal, but the term wire is used genericallyherein as applying to any material capable of being bent or formed todesired shape to afford a relatively rigid part having the peripheralshape of the retainer described above.

At what will constitute ends of the particular lubricator.

selected to be associated with the wire loop 70, the tie elements 71 and72 are bent inwardly at 73 and then are straightened at 74 to affordanchor elements that are parallel to the ties 71 and 72. The anchorelements 74 are utilized to anchor ends of an afiixing member such as ametal strap 62' or the like which it will be recognized can be stapledor otherwise aflixed to the free outer ends of a lubricator that is toembody the wire loop 70. Thus, the straps 62' serve the purpose of theaffixing members 62 described above.

The wire loop 70 in its initial form will of course be nothing more thana straight wire having free ends, and in the course of fabrication theconfiguration to be described more completely herein below is impartedto such straight form of wire, and the free ends of the wire can be spotwelded or otherwise spliced to afford the rigid member shown in Fig. 2.Thus, the end sections of the wire loop 70 embody the peripheralcharacteristics of the solid plate retainers described above, and theseend sections will be described herein below using reference characterssimilar to the foregoing embodiment.

Thus, each end section in the wire loop retainer 70 is strengthened andrigidified by a strap 62' which defines the portion thereof that is tobe secured to the related end of the lubricator. If circumstances permitelimination of a connection element such as a strap 62' the terminalanchor members 74 can be fastened in a suitable manner to the end of thelubricator.

The outer extremities of the retainers, 40M and 40M in this instance,are represented by spaced apart ears 41M and 42M having rounded outerends 41EM and 4213M. The inner edges 43M and 44M of the ears 41M and 42Mare spaced apart sufiiciently to embrace the stop columns as 21 and 22of the journal box JB, and these cars are interconnected by a wire basemember 50M affording an edge 51M adapted to be disposed beneath thelower edge of a stop column as 21 or 22. The retainers 40M and 40Minclude extensions 53M and 54M rearward of the base member 50M, and asshown in Fig. 3, the ears 41M and 42M are arcuate in the fashion of theears 41 and 42 described above. Likewise, the extensions 53M and 54M areslightly arcuate in the fashion described above for the extensions 53and 54 so as to be directed inwardly with respect to waste ledges of ajournal box as described above to clear the waste ledges.

The extensions 53M and 54M include angled or L- shaped portions 55M and56M each including a leg as 58M and 59M generally normal to theextensions 53M and 54M adapted to be disposed beneath a waste ledge ofthe journal box as will be apparent from Fig. A of the drawing. Theinner ends of the legs 58M and 59M merge into the anchor elements 74described above which represent the terminal members of the retainers40M and 40M adapted to be afiixed to the corresponding ends of theselected lubricator, either directly as was mentioned or indirectly by astrap as 62'.

The retainers of wire form shown in Figs. 2 and 3 need not includeelongated tie elements 71 and 72 except where it is of advantage to usesuch tie elements extended along the opposed longitudinal sides of thelubricator. Thus, referring to Fig. 6, a further modified form of theinvention is illustrated as embodied in a wire form of retainer 40MFillustrated as afiixed to one end of the lubricator such as thelubricator 20 described above, and of course a like retainer would beaffixed to the opposite end of the lubricator. The retainer 40MF isidentical to either retainer 40M or 40M described above, and in Fig. 6one method of attachment to the lubricator is illustrated asaccomplished by staples 75 passed through the strap 62 and the free endportions of the lubricator 20 represented by the flap portion 35 of thecover 30. As shown in detail in this instance, the strap 62' may includeeyes 62B at the opposite ends thereof through which the terminal members74 of the wire retainer are passed, and this, it should be noted, is theway in which the straps, 62, Fig. 2, are coupled to the wire loop 70. Itwill be further observed that the free ends of the wire aflording theretainer 40MF may be conveniently joined by a spot weld SW, and asimilar method can be used for joining the free ends of the wire loop 70at a desired point. As shown in Fig. 5A, the retainer 40MF cooperateswith the stop column and the associated waste ledge of the journal boxin substantially the same manner as described above in connection withthe retainers 40 and 40'. The solid plate retainers are preferred,however, since there is little likelihood of distortion by even theseverest motion of the car.

Hence, while we have illustrated and described preferred embodiments ofour invention it is to be understood that these are capable of variationand modification, and we therefore do not wish to be limited to theprecise details set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of such changesand alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In a railway journal box wherein a car axle is supported for rotationby a segmental journal bearing having end lugs spaced inward of the sidewalls of the journal box and wherein the journal box is provided withstop columns engageable with said lugs of the bearing: a railwayjournallubricator of the kind described disposed in the journal box inthe space between the lower part of the journal and the bottom of thejournal box, said lubricator including at least one absorbent pad havinga wicking cover, and a lubricator retainer affixed to the cover at eachend of the lubricator and each such lubricator retainer comprising:rigid means afiording an ear engageable with one of the front and rearfaces of a related one of the stop columns, said ear having an upper enddisposed in a generally vertical plane and located in the space betweenthe related bearing lug and the related side wall of the journal box,said ear below the upper end thereof terminating at a horizontal basemember having an elongated edge facing toward said upper end of said earand disposed immediately below the related stop column to be engageablewith the bottom of such related stop column, said rigid means having anextension below said base member extending downward beyond such a stopcolumn and bending inward toward said journal and away from the relatedside wall of the journal box, said extension then being bent in theopposite direction away from the journal and toward said related side ofthe journal box to afford a leg portion spaced well below said stopcolumn, and said extension below said leg portion including a terminalmember afiixed to an end of said lubricator cover.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the rigid meansaifording each retainer is a solid one-piece non-metallic plate.

3. The arrangement according to claim 2 wherein a second one-piece plateis associated with each retainer, each of said second plates beingsecured to the related end of the lubricator cover in spaced parallelrelation to the related one of the terminal members and having an edgealigned with theleg portion of said related terminal member.

Armstrong Jan. 16, 1951 Korn July 3, 1951

